As exemplified in Maloney, Jr., et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,808, it is known to mount a soffit panel to a structure combining a gutter (eaves trough) and a facade by inserting a front edge portion of the soffit panel into a channel formed in the gutter-facade structure and by nailing a back edge portion of the gutter to a wooden nailing strip. As exemplified therein, the gutter and the soffit panel are roll-formed from aluminum coil stock, which may be pre-finished.
Improvements for mounting a front edge portion of such a soffit panel, as inserted into such a channel formed in such a gutter-facade structure, are disclosed in International Application No. PCT/US95/04922, as published as International Publication No. WO 95/30809. This invention provides improvements for mounting a back edge portion of such a soffit panel. Also, the present invention eliminates any need for a separate element, such as a wooden nailing strip.
Commonly, such a gutter and such a soffit panel are mounted to a building structure above aluminum siding panels including an uppermost panel, which extends upwardly approximately as far as the soffit panel, a separate element known as an undersill trim is nailed to a building wall, and the uppermost siding panel is punched so as to form trim-engaging tabs, by which the uppermost panel is secured to the undersill trim. The present invention provides improvements for securing such an uppermost siding panel. Also, the present invention eliminates any need for a separate element, such as an undersill trim.